One of the questions I get asked a lot is, where do you find history books? Some people want them for research, others just for general interest, but they aren’t always the easiest to find. And obviously they aren’t looking for a bookstore or an online store, those are fairly clear. If you are looking to get a hold of academic books or older/ potentially out of print books, you might be looking at several hundred dollars, if you can actually find them. And that isn’t realistic for most of us! So, these are my 3 options for where to find history books…
I wanted this post to follow my post, 5 Tips for Doing Your Own Historical Research. I am a big supporter of people getting involved with history in any shape or form. For some people, that is an academic approach. For others, it might look more like public history. And for some, it might be personal history or interests. All are valid and should be supported in their own ways. And access to books and sources can be crucial for all forms of history.
Unfortunately for us, history books don’t always tend to be the most popular. Other than a few popular histories (that are nearly always about the World Wars), there aren’t many that are widely published. You can absolutely look for them in traditional bookstores, but there will most likely be higher prices. Many smaller presses that publish these books aren’t picked up by bookstores, though- what do you do when they aren’t?
University/College Libraries
Post-secondary institutions tend to have incredibly robust libraries. They also tend to have books and journals that are too niche for everywhere else. If that institution has a history department, there is an excellent possibility that they will have a sizeable history section. If they don’t, they will probably have history sections for the subjects that are taught. And most will focus on academic books but do include others as well.
These libraries don’t always allow everyone to visit or borrow books, but there are a few ways to access them. Firstly: if you are an alumnus/alumna, you may be able to get a card. This does seem to be more of a North American benefit, but reach out to your alma mater(s) to ask if it is a possibility. If nothing else, you might be able to view books while you are there.
Secondly: if you didn’t attend the institution, reach out to see if they have a visitor’s card. It may be limited to only viewing books in the library or to borrowing a small number, but it may be an option. There is also a cost involved with this, so make sure you ask for any fees. (If you can get a card for the institution, you might also be able to access their digital journal subscriptions, so it isn’t just limited for books!)
Secondhand Markets
I’ve written an entire post (which you can find here) on finding the secondhand books that you want. It does take a bit of practice and skill to find them, but it can be the best way to find older books. I would recommend looking more online for history books, rather than physical stores. It isn’t to say that used bookstores can’t be useful, but you are less likely to find specific books.
Look on eBay and look on secondhand sellers on Amazon. (People will sell anything on those sites! And although it is through Amazon, they are separate sellers.) Check out ABE Books and Book Finder online- both focus on older and rarer books, and allow searching by title, authors, and ISBN.
One thing to keep in mind is that older and out of print books may be significantly more expensive. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t purchase them, but is good to have in the back of your mind when looking.
NetGalley and Review Sites
NetGalley is one of my favourite creations of the twenty-first century. Publishers have been sending advanced copies of books to readers for many decades. However, for most of those decades, it has meant giving physical books to readers. Publishers still do this a lot, but it can be expensive to print and mail out copies. Enter: NetGalley. NetGalley is a site where you can request ebooks of upcoming books, to review and share after. Once approved, you can download a free ebook which typically expires in 60-90 days. (There are other sites, like Edelweiss and First to Read, that run a similar program.)
Because they are advanced copies, they cannot be quoted without checking against the published book, and they will expire. I don’t use these books for final citations, but they are a great way to read more in a particular field, and decide if you would like to purchase the book. (When a book is $100+, it is understandable that you might not want to immediately purchase.) You do need to post your reviews on NetGalley, because you need to maintain specific ratios to be approved. Yes, this is a small amount of work, but it can save you a lot in the long run.
Note: if you are sharing/recommending books that were given to you for free, you should always disclose that wherever you are reviewing.
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Finding and purchasing history books can certainly be an expensive endeavour. Speciality and niche books tend not to go on sale that often. (Follow academic publishers on social media, they often will have sales once or twice a year.) These sources aren’t a guarantee for finding books, but they can give you some options at the very least!
Where do you find history books? Those particularly difficult to locate books?
Cheers,
The Historian
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